Tractor Supply Company - Most Exemplary Employer

Company: Tractor Supply Company - Brentwood, TN
Company Description: Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO), the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the U.S., has been passionate about serving its unique niche, targeting the needs of recreational farmers, ranchers and all those who enjoy living the rural lifestyle, for more than 80 years. The Company has more than 42,000 Team Members, over 1,900 stores in 49 states and an e-commerce website at TractorSupply.com.
Nomination Category: COVID-19 Response Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Most Exemplary Employer

Nomination Title: Tractor Supply Company - Most Exemplary Employer

Tractor Supply’s utmost priority since the COVID-19 outbreak has been the health and safety of our Team Members, customers and communities. As an essential, needs-based retailer, Tractor Supply stores remained open throughout the pandemic with enhanced safety protocols, and the Company hired an incremental 10,000 Team Members to ensure we can continue to provide legendary customer service and promote safety.

Our response to COVID-19 began in mid-February when Tractor Supply launched an internal Pandemic Task Force. We significantly enhanced our internal communications, and early in the crisis, we established guiding principles to proactively communicate in a timely and transparent manner to our key stakeholders.

Our Team Members are at the heart of our relationship with our customers, and our goal is to take care of them first and foremost so they can, in turn, take care of our customers. With COVID-19, we have introduced numerous safety enhancements and benefits focused specifically on Team Members’ health and wellbeing:

-Offered two weeks of paid sick leave to any Team Members affected by COVID-19.
-Paid incremental appreciation bonuses from March 16 - June 27, 2020 to anyone required to be at facilities to assist customers and operations during the pandemic.
-Adopted permanent wage increases for Team Members at all Stores and Distribution Centers beginning June 28, 2020.
-Paid a holiday 2020 appreciation bonus for frontline workers.
-Established annual grants for long-term incentive compensation to support the entrepreneurial spirit of our Store Managers and Distribution Center management.
-Began offering medical, vision and dental coverage, paid sick time and life insurance benefits to part-time Team Members.
-Began offering 100% coverage for COVID-19 medical treatment and waved cost-sharing for telehealth visits.
-Installed plexiglass barriers, provided PPE and require masks to be worn by Team Members and customers.
-Implemented temperature checks and wellness self-checks.
-Allowed non-essential support Team Members to work remotely since mid-March 2020.
-Purchased and supplied, free of charge, 3,000 Chromebooks to hourly Team Members with school-aged children making the shift to virtual learning.
-Began offering six weeks of paid parental leave.
-Provided seasonal appreciation packs (5 occasions) to 42,000+ Team Members.

Since COVID began, Tractor Supply has significantly enhanced our communication with key stakeholders by publishing several press releases, launching aCOVID-19 webpage, and sending out numerous internal communications, with the overarching goal to consistently and frequently communicate our COVID-19 response to all stakeholders.For internal communications, we have leveraged all communication formats including email, videos, video conferencing (Microsoft Teams and Zoom), Town Halls, intranet and virtual video meetings.

The COVID-19 webpage gives a full list of actions taken by Tractor Supply to keep Team Members and customers safe, while supporting communities.

The year-in-review video highlights not only steps taken to protect Team Members during COVID-19 but also investments in training; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and the overall health of the business.

To reinforce our support of our teams, Tractor Supply’s leadership sent seasonal gifts of appreciation to all 42,000 Team Members and their families. Gifts includedpizza gift cards in April, family picnic basket for July 4th, backpacks with goodies for Labor Day, pumpkin carving kits for fall, and cooking gear with a ham gift card for the holidays. Our Team Members were so excited to stay connected with us, they have emailed, texted, and posted their appreciation for these gifts through photos – some of which can be seen in the attached photo collage thanking Team Members.

In an interview with CNBC on May 28, 2020, Tractor Supply’s CEO Hal Lawton discussed some changes we made to protect and support Team Members (main discussion: 3:15-5:46).